Apologies for another two week break. Things have been pretty hectic lately and at the end of the month I will be going on a three week holiday to Australia. I will endeavour to keep writing even while I am there, but it may be more challenging for obvious reasons.
Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix
Chapter 56:- Meeting Royalty
"So… the old codger's still knocking about after all."
That was Porlyusica's reaction to the photograph in her hand - the one that had been sent through the Spirit World and depicted all the members of the guild lost on Tenroujima. And in a rare display emotion from the old woman, there were actually tears in her eyes. After all, she'd been almost as devastated as the rest of them when she'd heard about what had happened six years ago. And for the first time in a long while, she actually felt a pulse of joy running through her weary body.
Yukino had left earlier that day, departing to find Sting and Rogue so they could head back to the guild, albeit with a fresh letter clutched in her hands as she went. And the entire Fairy Tail guild had headed out in force to the forest in order to meet with Porlyusica and give her the news.
When they'd got there she'd been hopping mad! Shouting and yelling at them to clear off and that she'd never had such a big disturbance as all of them together before.
But that all changed in an instant when Macao showed her the photograph and the original letter that Yukino had delivered to them before.
"I was sure," Porlyusica whispered. "Sure that there had to be some mistake. That Makarov must have survived somehow, along with all of his beloved children. I admit after so long my hopes really were beginning to die. But now… I can scarcely believe it."
"It's a miracle indeed," Macao nodded. "But we still need your help if we're going to return them all to where they belong."
"And you felt the need to all come and tell me this, did you?" Porlyusica raised a brow. "You couldn't have just sent one or two of you to deliver the message."
"Well… yes, we could have…" Macao conceded before Romeo decided to interrupt him.
"…But we all wanted to know your answer as soon as possible. We just couldn't wait."
"Answer?" Porlyusica asked with a frown. "Answer to what exactly?"
"To whether you can get us to Edolas of course."
"Edolas? Why in the world would you want to go there?"
"Because we think that's where the answer to getting them home might lie," Macao grinned.
"All this time and I had absolutely no idea that you were from Edolas yourself," Wakaba murmured. "Though I suppose it makes sense. I don't think I've ever seen you do any magic apart from your medicine."
"Makarov told you, did he?" Porlyusica glowered, rubbing the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Honestly, he's locked in another universe and he's still somehow managing to be a pain in my butt. That was not his secret to tell."
"Under most circumstances I'm sure he would have taken that to the grave if you wanted him to," said Jet. "But these aren't normal circumstances. This could mean the difference between getting them back and never seeing them again."
"Surely you don't mind if it's all in the name of returning them home," Droy agreed.
"Oh I mind," Porlyusica glared at them, making the both of them cower. "I mind very much! My own life is my own business after all! I don't suppose you'd like it if some of your secrets were spilled out to everyone you know in a letter, would you?" She stood back and sighed deeply, appearing to take a steadying breath and get control of herself before going on. "But… if it is for the sake of reuniting the guild then I suppose I will let it slide, just this once."
"Hopefully the day will come when you can give him an earful for it yourself," Bisca smiled, bouncing Asuka lightly in her arms.
"…That is a day that I look forward to greatly," Porlyusica allowed a light smile to creep back to her face. "But you still haven't told me exactly why it is that you want to go to Edolas."
"It's the Master's idea… the Third Master that is, not this undignified Fourth," Wakaba smirked, chuckling when he saw a vein appear in Macao's forehead. "He thinks if we can get Mystogan to come back to Earthland he might be able to fashion another massive portal that we can use to bring the others back."
"The one they had managed to suck up an entire town after all," Warren agreed.
"Hmm," Porlyusica frowned. "That doesn't sound like something that could be achieved at all quickly."
"No… but it's the only plan we have at the moment," Macao said sombrely. "And if we can't get to Edolas… then we're just going to be back to square one with no ideas at all."
"Oh, very well then. Yes, I am from Edolas. And before you ask the answer is no. I do not know exactly how it was that I got here. It happened when I was young, testing out a new magical item back home with one of my friends designed to create powerful vibrations in the earth or in the air to create small earthquakes or pulses and the next thing I knew I was in a completely new world. I do not know why, and I have never tried too hard to figure it out."
"You mean… you don't know of any modus operandi that we can potentially skedaddle to the alternate totality?" asked Laki concernedly.
"Would you please speak normally?" Porlyusica barked irritably. "Whenever I talk to you I have to work out exactly what it is you're saying."
"She asked if you don't know any ways for us to get to Edolas," Kinana translated while Laki pouted.
"Well why didn't she just say that?" Porlyusica sighed. "But in any case, I didn't say that I didn't know of any ways. As it happens… I might just have one."
"You do?" Macao asked with sudden excitement.
"What is it? You've gotta show us," Warren agreed quickly.
"Wait out here," Porlyusica declared, before turning around and slamming the door to her hut behind her. For a good couple of minutes the Fairy Tail members were just left standing there in suspense, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other and biting their lips in anticipation. They could hear Porlyusica shuffling about inside but couldn't make out exactly what it was that she was doing… until she finally stepped outside once again. And in her arms was a bunch of wooden rods… no, they were staffs.
Five of them.
"Wait a second…" Jet frowned. "I recognise those things."
"You do? From what?" Droy asked.
"It was one time where I'd headed out to one of the town's bookshops to get a new rune book for Levy," Jet said. "I ran back fast… well, of course fast - you know me… but when I got back to the guild it was to find almost everyone sound asleep. The only exceptions were the Master and a man in a dark cloak that I guessed had to be Mystogan. I didn't see anything but his back, but I got a good look because my high speed allowed me to rush into the right place before his Sleep Magic overtook me too. And he was wearing those five staffs on his back. They're Mystogan's staffs!"
"You are right and wrong at the same time," Porlyusica said as she laid the staffs carefully out on the ground side by side. "These staffs were created by Mystogan but they were not the ones he himself used. However, they do the exact same things that his staffs could do which means anyone using them can employ the same magic as Mystogan. If they have the know-how."
"Why do you have those?" Alzack asked.
"Mystogan was a bright man," Porlyusica said. "He visited me on occasion, much to my chagrin. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was from Edolas just like he was. He told me that he was from Edolas but made me promise to keep that a secret so I did. He asked me the same questions everyone else who knew always asked me, about whether I wanted to go home or whether I was happy living here on Earthland. And while I gave him the same answer I gave everyone else - told him that I was perfectly happy living here and actually preferred it to Edolas - he still insisted on making these for me just in case I ever changed my mind."
"Changed your mind?" Macao whispered. "So you're saying… these staffs can get us to Edolas?"
"Naturally they can. You know Mystogan was going around Fiore closing Anima breaches opened from his home world by now, do you not? How do you think he did that - by wishing upon a star? No, he forged his staffs with the ability to channel the Anima magic to a degree where he could open and close small portals from this side. And so he gave this spare set to me should I ever desire to leave Earthland behind and return to my original homeworld. And he even gave me instructions on how do it."
This last sentence sparked a mighty roar of approval from the assembled mages - fists pumping into the air and bellowing with delight. None of them had really been getting their hopes up about this if they were honest, but Porlyusica had just blown things out of the water. If they could use these things to get to Edolas then that meant that Makarov's idea to request Mystogan to build another Anima might not be such a wishful one after all!
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Macao asked. "We should head their immediately! The sooner we find Mystogan the sooner we can get the ball rolling."
"All of you?" Porlyusica raised a brow. "You all intend to go? Are you crazy?"
"If it's to get our friends back, we'll be as crazy as we have to be!" Alzack declared.
"Well that's good to know," the apothecary snorted. "But would you all die for it?"
There was a sudden wall of silence.
"…Die?" Macao asked hesitantly. "What do you mean? We don't intend to die for this."
"Well, you would if you went to Edolas," Porlyusica said pointedly.
"We would? Why?"
"Use your brains!" Porlyusica cried. "What happened to Edolas when that boy Natsu and the others went there?"
"It… lost all of it's magic power, right?" Romeo asked.
"Exactly," Porlyusica nodded. "Edolas is a world now completely devoid of magic. All of its magical beings were dragged right out of it and into this world as I recall. If you were to set foot in it now, your magic would be drained out of your body and you would almost immediately be struck down with magic deficiency disease. You'd be left weak, helpless, barely able to move… and if you didn't get more magic into you quickly you would most likely die."
That statement seemed to create a wall of silence around the assembled Fairy Tail members as they digested the news. Even after all they'd heard about Edolas it was pretty hard to digest… the idea of a world without any magic in it whatsoever. It was actually quite terrifying.
"But hold on," Laki frowned, and for once she was able to abandon her usual odd manner of speaking. "Why didn't Natsu and Wendy get magical deficiency disease when they went there? They went for several days before they received that medicine thing which gave them the ability to use magic there."
"That was when Edolas still had magic, which meant the magic power they already had in their bodies stayed put," Porlyusica related. "Edolas' magic was different to Earthland's but still similar. They still had Ethernano but it was not a self-replicating kind which made it a finite resource. And because the humans of Edolas have no magical containers within their bodies, Edolas Ethernano couldn't be absorbed by humans. There was no magical flow in or out of Natsu and Wendy's body with that type of Ethernano in the air, so the magical power they had when they entered Edolas was locked inside their bodies, preventing them from losing it but unable to use it.
"Until Mystogan's X-balls provided their bodies with the ability to absorb Edolas Ethernano and create the flow once more. It was a medicine of his own invention, but he told me he hoped never to have to use it. But now, Edolas has no magic. X-balls won't be able to provide you with the ability to use magic in a world that has no Ethernano at all. That's not how they work."
"So…" Warren said drearily. "We need to find Mystogan to try and get our friends back… but if we try to find him we'd die in the attempt?"
"That's about the size of it, yes," Porlyusica nodded. "Technically I could go myself since I am from Edolas and have no magical container, but opening the portal is a tricky process and since it requires magic it can only be done from Earthland. So I would need to stay behind to make sure anyone that went through a portal could come back again. But the point is moot seeing as there's nobody else here who…"
"What about me?"
Everyone turned at once to lock eyes on Kinana, who had been the one to speak. She stepped forward into the middle of the group, one hand over her heart, and repeating. "What about me? I have no magic power. Mirajane started to try and teach me before she left for Tenroujima but I didn't get far. I never reached the stage where I could successfully absorb Ethernano in large quantities and I haven't really tried to learn magic since. So… doesn't that mean I could go to find Mystogan?"
"Kinana, no," Bisca shook her head and placed a hand on the purplette's shoulder. "It's too risky."
"Actually, she has a point," Porlyusica cupped her chin in one hand thoughtfully. "All humans on Earthland have the potential to use magic and Ethernano flows through everyone's bodies, but you haven't figured out how to make them stay put and become magical power, have you?"
"No, I haven't," Kinana shook her head. "I was still trying to figure things out when Mirajane left and… I guess I've been too busy ever since to really pick it up again."
"Too busy running around and looking after all of us," Nab murmured, with a slight smile that was shared by all the others.
"So, if I were to go to Edolas, would I get magical deficiency disease?" Kinana asked, looking at Porlyusica intently.
"…No… I don't believe you would," the old lady replied.
"Then that's what I'm going to do!"
"Whoa, Kinana…" Macao raised his hands. "Slow down? You want to go to a completely different universe all by yourself?"
"Yes," Kinana nodded firmly. "If we're trying to keep all this quiet then I am the only one we know who can. Everyone else we were talking about telling has magic as well so they'd all be in the same boat as you guys. But I can go… and I want to. I want to do everything in my power to bring the others home, whatever it takes. And if this is something only I can do… then I will happily do it!"
"It could be dangerous," Wakaba warned. "We have no idea what Edolas is like now."
"I'll take my chances. Master Makarov provided me with a home, and though I wasn't there long before the others disappeared they were all wonderful to me. There's no way I can sit back and do nothing now if there's a chance I can help them."
"Kinana, you're such a generous spirit!" Vijeeter cried with tears in his eyes, dancing erratically on the spot.
"Oui, so kind," Reedus agreed, furiously painting Kinana's determined face right then and there. "So benevolent."
"You've been running around doing nothing but looking after us for six whole years and now you're doing it for people who aren't even here," Alzack smiled. "Sometimes Kinana, I don't know what we would have done without you to pick up the pieces for us all."
Kinana blushed, especially when Laki ran over and glomped her, but she kept up her determined smile.
"I still think it's risky," Macao muttered. "And I don't like the idea of sending one of our own out into the unknown without any magic or equipment to defend herself with. But… if you're sure, Kinana…"
"I'm sure."
"…Then I suppose I can't object. After all, you're not an official member of my guild. I can't order you to stay," Macao smiled thinly. "All I can do is wish you luck, Kinana."
"Thank you, Master." Kinana bowed her head and curtsied at the same time, before turning determinedly to Porlyusica to the sound of Vijeeter, Jet and Droy all bawling their eyes out at her generosity. "So… how will this work?"
"Well first you should go and pack a few things to take with you, like provisions," Porlyusica replied. "I know how to activate the portal to Edolas but I have no idea where in Edolas you'd end up. You could be quite some distance from the capital."
"Okay then," Kinana nodded, squaring her shoulders in readiness. "Let's do it."
The guild members reconvened outside Porlyusica's house a couple of hours later, with Kinana now wearing a mid-sized backpack containing as much food as they could find that wouldn't spoil quickly. By this time, Porlyusica had already set up the staffs - four of them jutting out of the ground to form the four corners of a wide square and the other held in her hands, ready for use.
"All right then," Porlyusica said, tapping the staff against her hand rhythmically. "Are you completely sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Kinana nodded firmly. "I have to play my part."
"Very well. In that case, let me explain what will happen. I cannot keep the portal open at all times as that requires a lot of magical power to accomplish. But I am pretty sure that if I leave the staffs where they are, every time I open the portal here it will open in the same place in Edolas. Which means when you wish to return, you will have to find your way back to the exact same spot you arrived, wherever that might be."
"Understood."
"We will also have no way with communicating with you while you are over there," Porlyusica continued. "We don't have a handy messaging system through the Spirit World to get to Edolas. So since we have no way of knowing when you will want to return, I will open the portal once day at exactly six in the evening for two minutes. If you haven't come through by then I'll assume you aren't going to on that day and close it for another twenty-four hours."
"Right."
"I will do that for one month," Porlyusica added gravely. "If you're not back within a month… I will have to assume you never will be."
Kinana took a deep breath, gripping the straps of her backpack and nodding. "Okay then. I understand. Let's do it."
"Good luck, Kinana!" Laki cried.
"Do your best. That's all we can ask of you," Macao nodded.
"If you see our Edo-selves over there, do say hello won't you?" Max grinned.
"I bet your Edo-self hasn't gotten fat over the years, Droy," Jet smirked.
"Shut up! This is muscle, not fat!"
"Goodbye everyone," Kinana smiled. "I promise you… I will come back. And I'll try my hardest to make sure we have a way to get our friends back when we do."
She then turned to Porlyusica, who was already preparing the spell. She had lifted the staff in her hands high above her head and was twirling it in a set of complex patterns at high speed, spinning it over and doubling it back, occasionally jabbing one end or the other into the ground and muttering constantly to herself as she did. Kinana could easily see what she meant when she'd said it was complicated. No wonder she had to stay behind if she was the only one who could work the magic.
But after almost a minute of non-stop motions, the old lady lunged forwards to stab the staff into the ground right in the centre of the square. Energy flashed inwards from all the other staffs to congeal around the one in the middle, and as the energy swirled around the staff it began to peel away and swirl into a vortex of clouds in thin air right in front of the group. They watched in awe as that vortex seemed to peel back the fabric of reality itself until it became a dark, black hole in the air.
The portal to Edolas had been opened!
"Now's the time, young one," Porlyusica gave Kinana a nod. The young purplette hesitated for a moment - it was a very intimidating looking hole after all. But her resolve did not waver… so she took a single deep breath and bolted forwards, leaping straight into the vortex with a single bound.
There was absolutely no way that she could hope to describe what happened next. So many colours and lights danced around her that the only words she could think to describe them was a kaleidoscope, but even that didn't seem to do it justice. She felt like she was rushing forwards at the speed of light with no clear destination in sight… and yet somehow when the end finally did come she was able to land on her feet. Though she did end up stumbling forwards several metres as if she'd been shoved hard in the back before dropping to her hands and knees in the sand.
Wait… the sand?
She looked up quickly and saw… yes… it looked like she was on the very edge of a desert! There were no deserts in Fiore so this was a little disconcerting, but nonetheless it seemed to be enough proof to her that she'd made it.
Edolas… she was there!
She looked around, taking in the spot where she'd landed. The portal was still swirling around behind her but just on the other side of it were three palm trees bunched together and next to that a large boulder. But in front of her, maybe about three hundred yards away, was a small town with a wall around it. And… that was more or less it. There were no massive islands hovering in the sky or rivers winding their way through the clouds like the others had described, but that was hardly surprising since this was a world without magic now. Honestly, it all looked pretty unremarkable… but the fact that this was a completely alternate world still made it so in Kinana's view.
And it did… feel… different somehow. Kinana couldn't really describe it but even though she couldn't use magic she could still somehow sense that she wasn't surrounded by it anymore… there was an odd emptiness here without any Ethernano flowing through her body. But she wasn't keeling over in exhaustion so that was a plus. No magic deficiency disease for her.
Suddenly the portal winked out of existence… and Kinana was alone. She was gripped by a sudden nervousness… she couldn't remember ever being on her own in the middle of nowhere, but then again she could remember almost nothing from before Makarov had found her.
"Okay…" she said aloud to herself. "Let's think this through. Porlyusica said I'd need to return to this spot… three palm trees and rock… sounds like a good marker… but there are other clumps of palm trees around here so…"
She drew a knife from her backpack that Laki had suggested she pack and stepped over to start scratching into the side of the rock. She quickly discovered she wasn't very good at rock carving, but she was still able to scratch out an awkward stick-version of the Fairy Tail symbol.
"There," she smiled when she'd finished. "Thank goodness I didn't land in the middle of an ocean. That would have been more awkward. But that'll be a good way of marking it… as long as I can remember the name of that town. I suppose I should head there next to find out what it's called… and how to get to the Capital."
Nobody seemed to have noticed the portal's appearance and when Kinana got to the town nobody seemed to pay much attention to her. Why would they - they had no way of knowing just how foreign she was.
She spotted a stall owner nearby and quickly made her way over to him. "Hello," she said brightly. "Um… could you tell me what town I'm in?"
"Lost, are you?" the stall owner asked, and Kinana was relieved that he seemed to be friendly.
"Well, something like that," Kinana smiled. "I'm trying to find my way to the Royal Capital? Can you tell me where I am and how to get there please? I'd be so grateful."
"Well, you're not exactly close to it. You're in Louen right now, and the Royal Capital is over two-hundred miles from here."
"Oh… that's unfortunate," Kinana mused. "In that case, do you think you could tell me the quickest way to get there? Is there some kind train that I could use to take me there quickly?"
"Trains?" the stall owner frowned. "Just how lost are you? Don't you know trains haven't made it out here yet? Trains were an idea that King Jellal took from Earthland, but since we only cracked how to use transport with electrical power instead of magic a couple of years ago the railway construction hasn't yet reached this side of Whale Bay. But we're looking forward to when it does, which should be in the next couple of years with any luck."
"Oh… right. Well then how can I get to the capital as quickly as possible?"
"Well, you'll have to wait a couple of days but we'll get getting a supply run from the capital arriving by Legion," the stall owner smiled. "King Jellal has the royal army working hard to supply all the outlying towns like this with everything they need until more reliable transport can be set up. He's such a considerate man. I actually prefer things the way they are now to when we had magic! Can you believe that?"
'Wow,' Kinana thought to herself. 'I guess Mystogan's been busy in the last six years. Hardly surprising, but it looks like he's doing well in building this society back up from near collapse. I hope he'll be able to spare the time to help us out…"
"Okay then," she said aloud, with a bright smile. "In that case, do you think you could point me in the direction of a cheap place to spend two nights? I'll see if the Royal Army would be willing to take me with them to the capital."
"They don't usually take people with them though," the stall-keeper warned. "You might find yourself disappointed."
"I very much hope not. After all… I've got urgent business with the King."
Yukino hummed to herself as she strode across the winding path through the plains outside of Magnolia. She had to admit it had been quite some time since she had just enjoyed a long walk out in the open country. But this time she had little alternative since Sting and Rogue refused to catch a train back to the guild and since they only had two Exceed it would be impossible for all three of them to fly back together. So if they all wanted to arrive back at the same time and make it look like they'd never split up, they would need to walk.
"You seem to be in a good mood, Yukino," Rogue remarked over his shoulder.
"Well I rather think I am," Yukino smiled. "I think I may have just made a serious difference in the lives of the Fairy Tail guild. How can I be anything other than happy about that?"
"She's got a point," Sting grinned, which took Yukino a little by surprise until he added, "If Fairy Tail don't at least get a good score in the next Grand Magic Games when Natsu-san and the others return then I'd be very disappointed."
"But of course our guild will still crush them," Lector smirked confidently.
"Oh naturally," Sting laughed. "It's inevitable."
Yukino sighed to herself. "Is that really all you think about Sting-sama?" she asked. "Is there no part of you that's glad that what we're doing might be reuniting a family?"
Sting wrinkled his nose a little. "Not really. If you ask me, Fairy Tail should have ceased to exist in this world when all the guys on Tenroujima vanished. They were all the strong ones - all the ones who could actually provide something to the guild. Who made it so famous. Those guys we saw back there were sorry excuses for mages by comparison. They don't deserve the Fairy Tail name or their mark. Not one of them would ever make the cut at Sabertooth. That much is clear."
Yukino pursed her lips and turned to the other Dragon Slayer. "What about you, Rogue-sama? What do you think?"
Rogue said nothing for a while. But when he did speak the only thing he said was:-
"I don't particularly care. I'm only doing this because I don't have anything better to really be doing."
"Fro thinks so too."
But Yukino didn't think so too. She thought she could detect the very slightest of tremors in Rogue's voice when he spoke. Was it possible that there were some altruistic reasons for his actions, rather than just hoping for a chance to fight against Gajeel as Sting thought to be the case.
She didn't have time to press him though because Sting suddenly pointed up ahead and cried, "Oh look. I think we've arrived."
He was right. There in the distance was a large white stone building at the edge of a small market town. And as they got closer they saw the big pink sign hanging over the doorway:-
'LOVE & LUCKY'
"So this is a merchant's guild, is it?" Rogue asked. "I don't think I've ever seen one before."
"Isn't the sign a bit girly?" Lector snickered. "What would a Fairy Tail mage's father be doing living here?"
"Fro doesn't know either."
"Ssh," Sting placed a finger to his lips. "We need to keep quiet about that remember. We're not supposed to be letting people know that Fairy Tail are still alive."
"Um…" Yukino interrupted before Lector could reply. "Why are there guards outside?"
That question brought the Dragon Slayers up short and they realised that Yukino was right. There were several men standing on either side of the doors beneath the sign. Men in full armour and carrying spear and shield. And the shields and their uniforms were adorned with distinctive yellow and blue colours that identified who they were straight away.
"Those guys are from the Royal Army of Fiore," Sting blinked. "What the hell are they doing all the way out here?"
"Who knows?" Rogue shrugged. "Guess we'll have to go out and ask them. They are standing outside the building we want to get into after all."
Yukino nodded, a little nervous at the prospect of interacting with the Royal Army but knowing she had to plough on ahead regardless. The group stepped up to the doors and as they approached two of the guards crossed their spears to block their way forward.
"Who are you?" one of them demanded. "What do you want here?"
"You seriously don't know who we are?" Sting scoffed, jabbing at the white insignia on his forehead. "We're the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth of course! Are you telling me you've never watched Rogue and I kicking ass at the Grand Magic Games before?"
"They're right!" gasped one of the guards. "They are the Twin Dragons!"
"Oh wow!" cried another.
"This is amazing," yelled a third.
"Can I have your autograph?"
"I thought you guys were awesome in the last games."
Yukino sweatdropped slightly as Sting revelled in their praise while Rogue looked mildly uncomfortable. It seemed being famous fighters for the most powerful guild in the country definitely did have its perks.
But the noise of the guards evidently attracted attention inside because the doors suddenly opened and a tall man with messy black hair, a goatee and a long nose stepped out. He was dressed in full armour plating with a white cloak and a massive broadsword at his side. His appearance made all the soldiers quieten instantly.
"What's going on out here?" the new man demanded, his voice deep and very rich.
"Captain Arcadios!" the nearest guard saluted. "Look. It's the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth!"
"So it is," the man, Arcadios, mused. His eyes tracked from Sting to Rogue a couple of times before they settled on Yukino. "And you are?"
"Um…" Yukino jumped slightly but calmed herself quickly and said, "I'm Yukino Aguria, Captain Arcadios-sama. I'm also a mage of Sabertooth, though I hadn't joined yet during the last Games.
"I see. A pleasure to meet you, but what brings three mages from Sabertooth… and two cats… to Love and Lucky?"
"Well… we actually have an important letter to deliver to a man that we think lives here," Yukino said, drawing the letter out from within her cloak as proof. "A man called Jude Heartfilia?"
Arcadios raised a brow. "Who is the letter from?" he asked.
Yukino hesitated. "Um… it's… actually quite a private letter. I don't think I can just… tell you."
"I see…" Arcadios hummed, stroking his goatee lightly. "Then I suppose I can deliver it to him if you wish." He held out his hand, but Yukino just clutched it closer to her chest protectively.
"I'm sorry… but I'd really rather be there when he reads it. He… might have questions that I can answer for him."
Arcadios wrinkled his long nose slightly. "…Very well," he said slowly. "I suppose Mages of Sabertooth can be considered trustworthy, especially when two of them are so famous. But only one of you can come in. The others will have to remain outside."
"No problem," Sting said, placing his hands behind his head casually. "Yukino can go in. We've not got a lot of investment in this stuff but she has."
Arcadios nodded and gestured for Yukino to come forward. The Celestial Spirit Mage shuffled towards him as the guards moved their spears to let her pass, while Arcadios held the door open to let her through. He closed it behind him immediately, and Yukino looked around at the tills and the merchants shuffling paperwork on the other side with interest before Arcadios strode past her towards the stairs.
"Jude Heartfilia's room is on the second floor," he said. "Follow me and I'll take you to him."
"O… Okay," Yukino nodded, hurrying after him quickly but it took until they reached the top of the stairs before she could finally ask the burning question. "Um… Captain Arcadios-sama… can I ask… why are you here exactly? Why are there Royal Army guards outside a merchant's guild? Is it being threatened by someone?"
"No," Arcadios shook his head, chuckling slightly and giving Yukino an amused smile. "It is not the guild we're protecting… it's the person who chose the same day as you to come and visit Jude Heartfilia."
He suddenly pushed open a door and gestured for Yukino to step inside. The white-haired girl did so hesitantly… and her jaw dropped when she saw who was inside. There was a single bed with a blond-haired man lying on it swaddled in the covers, but it wasn't the man that astonished Yukino. It was the young woman with long green hair sitting on a chair by his bedside, wearing a short white dress, a large pendant necklace and a golden tiara with a large red ruby set in the centre on her forehead.
"Oh, hello," the woman smiled when Yukino entered. "Who are you?"
"P… P… Princess Hisui E. Fiore!?" Yukino gaped in abject shock. She couldn't scarcely believe it but she'd seen pictures of King Toma and his daughter before and there was absolutely no mistaking who this person was. She was the princess and the heir to the whole country, and she was currently looking her right in the eye with an amused smile.
"No, that's my name," Hisui giggled. "I wanted to know what your name was."
"Oh… oh right… um… my name is Yukino…"
"What a lovely name," Hisui smiled. "And you obviously know who I am so I have no need to introduce myself. But since you were surprised to see me in here, shall I assume I'm not the person you came to talk to."
"Um…" Yukino tried to recover herself. "That's… that's right Princess Hisui Sama Princess Sama…" She shook her head vigorously and focused on the man in the bed instead. "Um… you're Jude Heartfilia?"
"I am…" said the man, and his voice was extremely gravelly… and rather weak. For the first time Yukino noticed how pale he looked. He was in his nightclothes and breathing quite heavily, and she could see a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Are you okay?" Yukino asked, her nervousness abating when she saw his condition.
"Not really," Jude coughed. "You can probably tell I'm not feeling my best right now."
"Jude fell ill a couple of weeks ago," Hisui explained with a sad smile. "That's why I'm here. As the former owner of the Heartfilia Konzern, Jude is an old friend of the family so I couldn't not visit."
"And of course wherever the Princess goes, an escort of guards goes with her," Arcadios added.
"Yes, it does make things a little inconvenient for other people when I visit places," Hisui sighed. "But still, I had to come."
"That's very kind of you," Yukino dipped her head respectfully. "I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this, Hisui-hime-sama…"
"Not at all."
"So…" Jude heaved a breath and did his best to sit up, which clearly took some effort but Hisui was there to help him do so. "What business do you have with my, young lady?"
"Oh, well…" Yukino coughed. "I… have a letter for you."
"A letter?" Jude frowned. "You came to give me a letter? Could you not have just put it in the post?"
"I could, yes…" Yukino nodded. "But… it's a bit complicated to explain but you'll need me here if you want to send a reply. Um… and… and it's quite a… private letter," she added sheepishly, glancing up at the Princess awkwardly. How was she supposed to ask the Princess of Fiore herself if she could leave the room?
It turned out she wouldn't have to.
"Whatever it is, I am certain Hisui can be privy to it as well," Jude said firmly. Even on his sickbed he had a demeanour that brooked absolutely no argument from anyone. Which was why Yukino's hand almost immediately shot out to pass the letter to him.
"O…okay then…" she swallowed as he took it from her. "Um… in that case I should probably tell you before you open it. It… it's from your daughter."
Jude froze, going deathly still. He stared at Yukino in silence, his eyes wide and totally unblinking. Not a muscle in his body seemed to twitch so for a moment it almost looked like he'd been frozen in time. But eventually he let out a single word in such a faint croak that Yukino hardly heard him:-
"Lucy?"
Yukino nodded wordlessly and Jude's gaze tracked down to the letter in his hands. His hands started shaking a little and Yukino wondered if he might actually be about to have a fit. But then he tried to open the letter only for his hands to fumble and poke at it ineffectually. Eventually Hisui gently laid a hand over his own to steady him and delicately pulled the letter from his grasp. The Princess looked almost as shocked as Jude himself, but she was able to gently unfold the letter in front of him and began to read aloud:-
'Father,
I hope you're well. This is a little awkward for me considering how we left things but I figured you deserved to know that I am alive. Sometimes it's difficult even for me to wrap my head around exactly what happened six years ago but I can tell you that I did not die on Tenroujima that day. Nobody from Fairy Tail did. It's all a bit complicated, but we were shielded at the last minute from the dragon's attack by a magic spell that froze us in time for six years. And now, through unknown circumstances, we have managed to get stuck in an alternate dimension.
I know, it's crazy. But if you want proof it's me… remember that time where Spetto spilled vinegar all over Mama's favourite dress? She was so panicked and Mama just shrugged it off like it was nothing.
To cut a long and complicated story short, we are now trying to find a way back home. The reason I am able to send this letter to you is because of Yukino. We are both Celestial Spirit Mages so my Spirits graciously agreed to pass this letter onto hers, and so on until it reached you. If you want to reply you'll need to write with paper and ink from the Spirit World, as only they can be transported through different gates.
Anyway, that's the situation. We've already contacted the rest of the Fairy Tail guild. With any luck we'll be able to return to Earthland in the near future… and when we do… I would like to see you. It hasn't been that long for me since we last saw each other but it's been a long time for you. Six years is a long time to gain some perspective. We didn't exactly leave things on the greatest of terms and, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I think… I am willing to give you another chance. But only if you still want to try it.
I hope to see you soon, and I mean that sincerely,
Lucy.'
Throughout all that, Jude's face went through multiple different expressions. At first disbelief, and then shock, and then his eyes began to brim with tears. The Spetto story was more than enough to convince him that it really was Lucy and from what he could see it matched her handwriting exactly. By the time Hisui had finished tears were pouring down his face and he had to cover them up with his hands.
"Lucy…" he whispered hoarsely. "It really is her… she's really alive…"
"The letter came with this," Yukino said softly, and she placed a single photograph on his lap. One that contained just Lucy giving the camera an uneasy smile and flashing a peace sign with her fingers." Jude clutched at it, mouthing the words 'She hasn't aged a day' but seeming too emotional to actually make the sounds. He pressed the photograph to his chest and almost hugged it as if he was embracing the real thing.
"Thank the gods…" he rasped gruffly, rubbing at his eyes. "Thank the gods… thank the gods… my daughter is alive. I knew it… I was so sure… but now… thank you, young lady…" he looked up at Yukino with eyes shining and in that moment he looked almost ten years ago. "Thank you… so much…"
Once again Yukino felt that tremor of joy passing through her at being able to provide such wonderful news to a loved one. But at the same time she felt another tremor, buried much deeper in her heart. One of sadness.
How she wished that someone would just walk into her life and tell her where to find her sister.
But that sadness was most kept to the back, leaving Yukino mostly just happy she could help.
However, Yukino's attention was so completely focused on Jude that she completely missed the look that passed between Princess Hisui and Captain Arcadios, the latter of which was still standing by the door. The both of them were thinking the same thing at the same time.
Lucy Heartfilia was alive!
Hisui was thrilled for Jude of course. More than thrilled. He'd been waiting for so long for any kind of sign whatsoever that his precious daughter might be there and she was happy beyond words that she was there to witness it happen at last. But there was another layer to her excitement which Arcadios understood immediately.
If Lucy Heartfilia, a Spirit Mage with at least nine Golden Zodiac Spirit Keys, was truly alive then that meant… the Eclipse Project could potentially work at maximum capacity!
"So… you're a Celestial Spirit Mage?" Hisui asked quietly.
"Oh… yes," Yukino nodded, reaching into her cloak to pull out her keys and show Hisui both the golden keys she owned. "I have two of the Zodiac Spirits here see? Lucy-sama has the other ten."
Hisui blinked. Yukino had just answered what she'd wanted to know without even having to be asked. Between them these two girls had exactly what they needed to make the Eclipse Project work.
It was too good to be true… and yet it was.
"This is intriguing news to say the least," Arcadios mused.
"Yes," Yukino nodded. "But… I hate to ask this of you Hisui-sama… but if you could please keep this to yourself that would be great. Fairy Tail are concerned that some people might try to interfere with their return if it became public knowledge they were still alive."
"Absolutely," Hisui nodded, placing her hand over her heart. "You have my word. Not one word of this conversation will get out to anyone. Except my father… I will tell him. But not to worry. He knows how to keep a secret… believe me."
"That I cannot argue with," Arcadios murmured, images of dancing pumpkins appearing in his head…for some reason. "So tell us, has there been any progress in finding a way to bring them back?"
"Yes," Jude nodded, looking up from his photo with a renewed vigour in his eyes. "Tell me all you know. And when you're done, I would like for you to write a reply."
"Of course," Yukino nodded, smiling widely. "It will be my pleasure."
Lucy blinked when someone quietly tapped her on the shoulder. The majority of the people in the Room of Requirement were focusing on Natsu and Gray - the two of them currently in the middle of a proper magical sparring match in the centre rather than just their usual rampant brawling, so most of them hadn't noticed that Loke had appeared in the room. The Lion Spirit handed Lucy a single sheet of paper and said, "You might want to read this in private."
That immediately told Lucy who it was from. She clutched the paper close to her chest and slipped quietly away, making sure that nobody noticed her go. Loke followed her quietly until they reached the girls' bedroom and only when the door was closed did Lucy unfold the letter.
She was more nervous than she thought she'd be. She honestly had no idea what to expect. But she didn't read it aloud and Loke made no attempt to get her to do so.
'Lucy,
I can scarcely believe that this is happening. Honestly, I am struggling to find the right words to put down… but I suppose that is appropriate as no words can express the joy I feel at learning you are still alive. Though most told me to move forward and accept that I had lost you, I was never quite able to do it. Some part of me always held back from moving on… some part of me always believed that you were still alive somehow, despite the total lack of evidence that you might be. I sent presents to your house in Magnolia every year on the day of your birthday, because I was sure you would one day receive them.
Perhaps that was just stubbornness on my part, but I think it was also because I know you are a fighter, Lucy. You always find a way. And though I do not know your friends, I suspected they were the same.
And here at last is the proof that I was right all this time.
You say that you would like to see me when you return? I would very much like that too. I hope that even after everything that I've done, I will be able to start afresh with my daughter. That is all I have wanted for the last six years. And that is because of one thing I want you to remember, Lucy.
I love you.
I know I have never been good at showing it… in fact I have been downright terrible at times. So much so that I do not blame you for running away to join a magic guild in the slightest. But I have always loved you and wanted what was best for you. The only excuse I can make is that for most of our time together what I thought was best for you was also what was best for me, and now I see that that couldn't have been further from the truth. Even in another world you are where you need to be, with your friends. And my only wish now is that I will be able to find a place in your life when you do return.
I confess that I am not currently at my best. My health has been failing somewhat over the last few months. But now I know you are alive Lucy, I will fight harder than I have ever fought before to return to health again. I will not let this chance to see you once again pass me by. So however long it takes for you to return, I will try my hardest to make sure I am there to greet you when you do.
Love from,
Dad.
P.S. Your friend Yukino says that she cannot stay and give me further letters from you, but she had promised that if you wish to send any more she will post them to Love and Lucky for me. And she has given me her home address so I can post right back. I hope to hear more from you in future.'
As she read through the letter two or three times, Lucy heard the pattering of water droplets spilling from her cheeks onto the paper, faintly smudging the ink in places. She quickly folded the letter away so she could avoid ruining it and tried to regain her breath. It was impossible for her to pick which of her emotions was running most powerfully at this point. She'd been so afraid of what her father's response would be but that had been exactly what she needed to hear.
And she knew he meant what he said. Her father was a tough, stern man with a no nonsense attitude towards everything. He would never have said anything remotely like that unless he meant it with absolute sincerity.
He wanted her back! He truly wanted her back!
"Father…" she whispered, burying her face in her hands and bawling her eyes out. "Thank you, Father. I'll come back to you! I swear it on everything I own, I will!"
Loke just smiled. He could tell that Lucy needed to be by herself right now so he made to leave, beginning to fade back to the Spirit World. But just before he could do so Lucy looked up at him with her eyes sparkling with unparalleled happiness.
"Thank you, Loke. For convincing me to do that."
Loke smiled back. "Anytime, Lucy," he said, before he vanished and left Lucy to her own thoughts once again.
Kinana was thankful that Edolas seemed to use the same currency as Earthland at least. Her friends had made her pack away as many jewels as they could spare in her pack, which was not a lot to be honest but at the very least she had enough to buy herself a couple of night's stay at a local inn to wait for what would hopefully be her transportation straight to the capital.
She didn't like staying put. She knew her friends back home would be eagerly waiting for her to return and she still hadn't gone further than a mile away from where she'd emerged. But she'd asked the stall owner if there were any other ways of getting quickly to the capital and he'd assured her that there weren't. Edolas did now have cars that didn't rely on electrical transport but there were still very few of them around here. Much like the trains, they were on their way but would still be a while yet.
But on the third day she was woken by loud and excited cries from outside her window, and when she went to look she gasped. Four massive creatures were approaching the town from the air. They looked almost like a cross between a dragon and a bat - covered in greyish fur with thick jaws and sweeping horns atop their heads.
Legions!
It was the supply run!
Immediately Kinana was up and about, gathering together her limited belongings and checking out of the inn to run over to where the Legions had landed on the outskirts of the town. They towered over the buildings but they were obediently laying down on their stomachs which was allowing the men who had been riding them to lower supplies down by rope to others waiting on the ground so they could be distributed out to the amassing people. The men were all wearing light grey and black uniforms and armour, with bulky mask-helmets that covered everything except for their eyes and had the sigil of the Royal City of Edolas emblazoned over their foreheads, which resembled a saber crossed with a musical horn.
But as Kinana was approaching, she heard a voice that made her stop in her tracks.
"Move faster!" the voice barked. "We've got a tight schedule to keep! Three more towns to visit today to stay on schedule and I will not have us falling behind because of all of you. I will not have the King's confidence in my wayne, understand?"
Kinana's eyes widened. She may not have been with Fairy Tail for very long before the incident on Tenroujima… but nobody could ever forget that voice. She dashed off in the direction of the voice and sure enough, there she was. A woman wearing a long blue scarf, a black halter-type breastplate top, gauntlets and greaves… and most importantly unmistakable scarlet hair.
"Erza!" Kinana cried before she could stop herself and dashed forward towards her.
Erza Knightwalker blinked and turned around, tensing slightly at the sight of a complete stranger heading her way. In the last six years her red hair had grown back to its former glory and she looked a little more mature. But ultimately she still looked almost exactly like the Erza Scarlet that Kinana remembered.
"Who are you?" she demanded suspiciously, her sharp voice making Kinana halt in her tracks. "Have we met before?"
"…Er…" Kinana hesitated. "Well no… but yes. Sort of, anyway."
Knightwalker frowned. "What do you mean? We have either met before or we haven't. There is no middle ground. I don't have time to waste on vague answers so if you're just going to…"
"Okay," Kinana cut her off. "In that case… no we've never met before. But… I have met Erza Scarlet before."
That got Knightwalker's attention.
"What!?" she breathed, grabbing Kinana's arm and pulling her aside to where they wouldn't be overheard quickly before hissing, "You know my Earthland doppelgänger?"
"Yes," Kinana nodded eagerly. "I'm from Earthland myself."
"What? That's impossible! Everybody from Earthland was pushed out of Edolas when magic disappeared six years ago."
"I know," Kinana nodded. "But I only arrived a few days ago. I'm an associate of Earthland's Fairy Tail guild and I'm here on urgent business to see King Jellal."
Knightwalker frowned suspiciously. "Is that so?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, it is."
"You would not lie to me, I hope."
"Never."
"Well then, if you truly are an associate of Earthland Fairy Tail… then perhaps you can tell me what King Jellal's alias used to be when he went there in the past?"
"I can. He called himself Mystogan. He used to be a member of Fairy Tail himself, but he never showed his face around the guild members because in our world, Jellal is a wanted man. The only person he ever revealed his true name to before taking his alias was the young Dragon Slayer girl, Wendy Marvell."
"…You really are from Earthland!" Knightwalker breathed in amazement. "What is your name, girl?"
"Kinana."
"Hmm… that is not a name King Jellal has ever mentioned before."
"That's not surprising. The guild took me in only a couple of weeks before the whole Anima incident happened. He's probably never seen me before. I've never seen him either. But I need to talk to him as soon as possible. It's important."
Knightwalker thought quickly. It was hardly proper conduct to bring a complete stranger to meet the King unannounced but on the other hand, this girl knew the truth about what had happened with the Anima. Most people, including the majority of the Royal Army, believed that magic had been stolen from Edolas by the Great Demon King Dragneel and that Jellal had been the one to bring him down. And for the stability of the Kingdom it was important that it stayed that way. If people found out Jellal himself had been the one to send Edolas' magic power away then it might undo all the hard work he'd been doing to build Edolas back up ever since.
Therefore letting this woman from Earthland wander about alone was probably not the best idea.
Which was why Knightwalker turned around and shouted, "Sergeant!"
"Yes, ma'am?" one of the soliders cried.
"I am leaving you in charge of the deliveries for the rest of the day! Something urgent has come up and I will be returning to the Capital to deal with it! Don't fall behind schedule or you will answer to me, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Knightwalker turned back to Kinana. "Come. We'll take my personal Legion back to the Capital forthwith."
Kinana beamed and hurried behind the other Erza quickly. "Wow, you've got quite the commanding presence about you. Just like our Erza back home."
"…Yes…" Knightwalker coughed awkwardly, quite quickly losing that commanding presence as she hesitantly asked the next question. "How… how is she doing?"
Kinana hesitated. "That… is part of the reason I'm here. Perhaps it would be better to wait until I can see the King before I explain."
"Very well," Knightwalker cleared her throat. "Then let us make haste."
Neither Kinana nor Erza Knightwalker said anything on the flight to the Capital. Knightwalker stood tall upon her Legion's shoulders, her hair flowing in the wind and watching the scenery passing by with a laser focus. It was as if she didn't want to leave anything whatsoever to chance and making sure they were on the straightest possible course back to the city.
'She must really want to impress the King,' Kinana thought to herself. 'Was she always this intent on her mission or did this happen after the whole Anima thing? I wish I knew more about her.'
But when the Capital did finally hove into view ahead, it took Kinana's breath away. It was a sprawling metropolis of a city separated into sections by numerous high walls, which sounded like it should be very neatly designed but the layout actually made it all look a bit haphazard. And the palace loomed over everything slap-bang in the middle of the city.
"Wow…" Kinana whispered. "It's amazing."
"Of course it is," Erza Knightwalker said stiffly. "And very few get to see it on the back of a Legion so you should consider yourself privileged."
"Believe me, I do," Kinana nodded. "So, are you going to take me straight to the Palace?"
"To the King, yes," Knighwalker nodded. "He will be most interested to talk to you and I will not delay in bringing you to him."
"You seem very eager to please him," Kinana noted, aloud this time.
Knightwalker's face creased into a frown. "That… is not the exact wording I would use," she said. "It is more… that I don't want to betray his trust. It took me… quite a while to earn it."
Kinana blinked, but it clicked into place in her head quickly. Erza Knightwalker had been a ruthless hunter and fiercely loyal to Mystogan's father if she remembered what she'd heard correctly. She'd killed many members of the Edolas Fairy Tail, tried to execute Lucy and shot Pantherlily in the back. It seemed that Mystogan had decided to let her stay in the Royal Army, for her actions had always been in the name of Edolas even though they were wrong. But he would have hardly trusted her straight away if he had any sense at all.
And Kinana suddenly felt a little more uneasy about riding atop a Legion with this woman. She seemed so much like the Erza she remembered that it had put her at ease. But she had to remember that this and every other face she might recognise here was an entirely different person.
The Legion swept in towards the upper levels of the palace where a large balcony jutted out from the side, making it a perfect landing pad for the huge, airborne creature. And no sooner had it alighted when someone came sprinting out of the palace at high speed, skidding to a halt right next to the Legion. It was a woman with a face that oddly enough reminded Kinana of a puppy for some reason… possibly due to her brown button nose.
"Is that you, Erza!?" she called up. "I knew it was you when I saw the Legion flying over the city. What are you doing back so soon? I thought that you were meant to be with the supply run until the end of the day."
"Coco," Erza announced as she vaulted smoothly off the side of the Legion to land in front of the new arrival. "Run to his Majesty and tell him to clear his schedule. I have a feeling he will want to see the visitor I have brought him?"
Coco had grown a lot in the last six years. She was no longer the little girl that any Fairy Tail member who'd been to Edolas would remember. She was now almost as tall as Erza and had developed quite a curvaceous womanly figure. She didn't wear baggy clothes anymore either - instead wearing dark green tights and a yellow dress with a short skirt area. But she still wore her brown hair in a single braid and still went barefoot everywhere she went.
"Huh? Really?" she cocked her head to one side and looked up at Kinana as the purplette tried to figure out how to get down from the Legion. "Who is that? I've never seen her before. Is she important?"
"She might be. She's from Earthland."
"…Wha?" Coco's eyes bulged, and suddenly she took off running in a full circle around the balcony before stopping in front of Erza again and saying, "Are you serious?"
"Very serious," Erza nodded. "Now go. Tell his Majesty that we're coming."
Coco shot off in a blur of dust, moving at such speed that Kinana momentarily thought she must have used magic… but nope, she was just that fast.
"Well…" she whispered to herself. "I guess it's time to meet the King."
King Jellal didn't wear robes. He didn't wear anything that could remotely be considered regal. He certainly didn't wear a crown. In fact, he was adorned in the same kind of dark, ragged robes which he'd worn throughout his entire career as Mystogan of Fairy Tail. Those were the clothes he was wearing when he 'defeated' the Great Demon King Dragneel and he felt that those were the kind of clothes he should continue wearing. To let everyone know he was a man of the people, and not just some high lord sitting on a throne and making whatever decisions he felt like.
Yet he did still have a throne. And he was sitting on it when Erza Knightwalker brought Kinana in.
"Your Majesty," she said, dropping to her knee in respect. "May I present Kinana… the woman who claims to be from Earthland."
Kinana studied Mystogan curiously. There was no mistaking his face. He looked exactly like the wanted posters she'd seen of the Jellal back on Earthland. But she could see straight away that he had kind and wise eyes which put her at ease even though she was in the presence of a King.
But Mystogan was also flanked by other people, all of whom were also staring right back at her.
"Hhhmmmm…" a man in pink armour and with a dimpled chin and blond hair lifted in a pompadour style. "She doesn't seem to be anything remarkable."
"That's just what I was thinking Sugarboy," said a man with peculiar arrow-shaped eyebrows and purple hair with a single white streak over his forehead. "I would have thought anyone from Earthland would be all like, crazy awesome, y'know! To actually come here to a world with magic should be like, way ridiculously impossible!"
"Don't judge her before she's had a chance to say anything, Hughes," Coco protested. "She should be the one to speak right now."
"And I will speak," Kinana interjected before Hughes could say anything else like he clearly wanted to. "It's a pleasure and an honour to meet you at last, Mystogan."
That word alone silenced Hughes in his tracks, and it got the King's attention as well. He stood up from his thrones, his cloak settled around his ankles.
"You know my Earthland name," he noted.
"Yes. I've come here on behalf of the Earthland Fairy Tail guild. I work as a waitress there."
Mystogan frowned. "I didn't think that the guild employed people."
"Well… I'm there under, shall we say, special circumstances."
"And how did you get to Edolas, may I ask?" Mystogan asked.
"With the help of Porlyusica. She set up the staffs that you yourself left in her possession to open a portal and cross over from my world to yours."
Mystogan smiled and stepped past his advisors and captains towards Kinana. "That confirms it," he said. "I always wondered whether the old lady would ever make use of those. To be honest I doubted it, but it seems as though it might have been a good thing I took the time to make her a spare set after all." He held out his hand and Kinana gratefully took it, thankful that that had gone as smoothly as it had.
"So, you're saying thish girl really ish from Earthland then, your Highnesh?" asked a short and elderly man standing next to Coco.
"Yes, Byro. She is. And if she is a friend of Earthland Fairy Tail then she is a friend of mine. And if she is a friend of mine then she is a friend to all of you as well, and I expect her to be treated as such."
"Hmmm… if that is his Majesty's choice," said Sugarboy.
"Welcome to Edolas, Miss Kinana!" Coco said excitedly.
"But, like, this is super huge, super awesome news!" Hughes said excitedly. "If there's a way to Earthland after all this time then doesn't that mean there might be a way to return magic to Edolas after all!?"
"That is a conversation for another time," Mystogan said with a degree of reluctance. "For now the conversation is about you, Kinana. What brings you to Edolas? I don't imagine you just fancied a holiday here which means there must be a reason."
"A big reason," Kinana nodded. "Like I said I have come on behalf of the guild. And they need your help."
"My help?" Mystogan raised a brow. "What need would they have of me? I can think of no situation where they would need a non-magical King from a foreign world. At least not any that they likely couldn't solve themselves."
"But the people of your world were able to create a device capable of transporting an entire city from one world to another," Kinana said earnestly. "And that's what they need now. Master Makarov and many of our members have become trapped in a third foreign world, and at the moment we have no way of getting them back."
"…I sense there's a rather long story behind all this," Mystogan blinked.
"You could say that, yes."
"Well then I think we'd best sit down and talk about it," the King gestured to a nearby table and set of chairs.
For the next half an hour, Kinana sat across that table from the King and outlined everything she knew, right from the very moment where Fairy Tail had returned from Edolas to the present. Mystogan was surprised to hear that the Earthland Lisanna had been hiding out in Edolas and thrilled to hear that Pantherlily had joined Fairy Tail, the latter of which also delighted Coco and made the other the captains smile. But for the rest of it he digested the news in complete silence.
When Kinana eventually finished, Mystogan eventually said, "So you're telling me… that even though its been six years… Wendy is still only twelve?"
"Er… yes," Kinana nodded. "Sort of. She certainly hasn't aged."
"That is bizarre to think about," Mystogan murmured. "I've thought about her often, and I assumed by now she must look a lot more like her Edolas counterpart. She and Coco are the same age and you've grown much in the last six years haven't you, Coco?"
"And I'm proud of it too!" Coco beamed, zooming around the table twice just for the hell of it.
"But back to the important part," Mystogan interlocked his fingers. "Essentially you want me to come to Earthland and build another Anima with which to bring back the other members of the guild."
"That's about the size of it, yes," Kinana nodded. "I realise it's asking a lot especially for a King. You have a country to run and citizens to look after, and a massive number of other duties to attend to I'm certain. But at the moment you're the only one we know who…"
Mystogan's raised hand silenced Kinana before she could continue. "Allow me to interrupt here, Kinana-san. There's no need for you to convince me any further. I will gladly do it."
"…You will?" Kinana blinked. "Just like that?"
The Captains looked surprised as well.
"Your Highnesh, ish thish wishe?" Byro asked, his lisp especially pronounced with that choice of words. "You are the King of all of Edolash… you can't jusht abandon your dutiesh on a whim."
"I will not be abandoning anything," Mystogan stated, getting to his feet and turning to face his advisors with an expression that told them immediately there would be absolutely no persuading him to change his mind. "I will find a way to both fulfil my duties as the King of Edolas and go to Earthland to build another Anima."
"Hmmm… but how do you hope to accomplish such a thing?" Sugarboy hummed.
"Yeah, yeah, wouldn't constructing another Anima take, like, a super crazy amount of time and effort?" Hughes agreed. "Like, months and months before it was completed! How can you do that on Earthland while still acting as the King of Edolas."
"I don't expect it to be easy. I expect it to be quite difficult in fact. But I will find a way. After all," Mystogan turned to give Kinana a smile. "I may have officially left the guild, but no matter where I am, even if I am in a completely different world and even if I have no magic, I am still a Fairy Tail mage. I may have rarely entered the guild during my stay in Earthland but it was still my home. I may have barely ever interacted with the other members. But how could I ever live with myself if my guild came to me for help and I said no?"
"You wouldn't be a true Fairy Tail mage if you could," Kinana beamed right back.
"Exactly. No matter what the challenges may be, I will find a way to fulfil my obligation to both my country and my guild." Mystogan raised his hand above his head to make the signature backwards L salute of the guild. And Kinana did it right back.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Coco waved her arms excitedly. "Does this mean… that we might be able to go to Earthland as well?"
"I don't see why not," Mystogan chuckled. "But I will be relying on all of your to fulfil your duties to the Kingdom at times where I am not here. I will need your support in juggling my tasks now more than ever. In the last six years you have proven your loyalty and earned my trust, all of you. If you continue to support me now," he added with a slight smirk. "You too will be able to visit a world where you will be able to use magic again."
That got their attention.
"Using magic again!?" Hughes grinned widely. "I'd almost forgotten what it's like… this'll be like, way totally uber awesome stuff!"
"Hmmm… if that is what his Majesty has decided, who are we to question it," Sugarboy nodded, to even he looked quite excited.
"I can't wait to see Lily again! I want to see the other Lucy again too," Coco cheered. "The one we have on this world is scary…"
"Erza?" Mystogan turned to Knightwalker. "You've been awfully quiet throughout all this."
"I…" Knightwalker hesitated, before placing a fist over her heart and bowing her head. "My loyalty to the King of Edolas is absolute. I will follow whatever decision you…"
"Come now, Erza," Mystogan interrupted. "You don't need to be so formal all the time. Say what you really feel."
Knightwalker's face coloured slightly and she hesitated, well aware that everyone's eyes were now on her. "W… w… well…" she coughed. "I think… that his Majesty is making the right decision. The… other Erza… I still remember what she told me, clear as day. She told me… to listen to the voices of the living. And now her own voice is reaching out to us… to you… asking for your aid. Along with the voices of an entire guild. And I think… it would be selfish not to listen to her."
Mystogan smiled. "Excellent. In that case, Byro, I want you to dig up everything you can about the Anima. Construction plans, magical infusions, whatever you can find. I am returning to Earthland."
For anyone who's wondering why I decided to have Mystogan give Porlyusica a set of his staffs, here's my thought process. During the Grand Magic Games arc, Jellal had perfect replicas of Mystogan's staffs and was able to use the same magic as Mystogan with them when he was going about in disguise. Where did he get them from? We never found that out cos it wasn't a massively important detail. But I decided to answer that question and used that answer for the plot.